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Cade Cunningham’s rise has moved past promise and into results for the Pistons. Detroit went from 14 wins in 2023-24 to 42-32 entering April 2, 2025, and that jump came with Cade Cunningham driving the offense while posting career highs during the turnaround season.
The production backed it up all year. Cade Cunningham finished 2024-25 at 26.1 points, 9.1 assists, and 6.1 rebounds in 70 games, then followed with 23.9 points, 9.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 64 games in 2025-26. Through five seasons, he is listed as a two-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection.
Detroit’s leap was not empty stat-chasing. The club became the first NBA team to triple its win total from the previous season, excluding the two lockout years, during Cade Cunningham’s 2024-25 breakout, as shown in the April snapshot of Detroit’s surge.
Cade Cunningham’s first All-Star selection landed in that same season, a clear marker that his game had broken into another tier. His scoring, playmaking, and control of possessions all climbed together during that All-Star campaign.
Regular-season growth needed a night fans could hold onto in April, and Cade Cunningham delivered one. He put up 33 points and 12 rebounds in Detroit’s 100-94 Game 2 win over New York on April 21, 2025, a result that ended the franchise’s 15-game playoff losing streak.
That mattered for more than the box score. Cade Cunningham gave the Pistons a road postseason win with the ball in his hands and the pressure turned all the way up.
League recognition followed right behind the breakthrough. Cade Cunningham was named All-NBA Third Team on May 23, 2025, his first All-NBA honor and Detroit’s first since Blake Griffin in 2018-19.
That is the part Pistons fans have been waiting to see from this rebuild. The franchise has a lead guard producing at an All-NBA level, and it is showing up in wins, not just highlights.
If Cade Cunningham keeps hovering near 24 points and 10 assists while carrying All-NBA form into another full season, Detroit’s postseason push stops being a nice story and starts looking like a yearly expectation. The next thing to watch is whether that level can keep the Pistons out of the play-in range and give them a cleaner path to another first-round series with Cunningham setting every possession.
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The production backed it up all year. Cade Cunningham finished 2024-25 at 26.1 points, 9.1 assists, and 6.1 rebounds in 70 games, then followed with 23.9 points, 9.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 64 games in 2025-26. Through five seasons, he is listed as a two-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection.
The breakout finally changed the standings
Detroit’s leap was not empty stat-chasing. The club became the first NBA team to triple its win total from the previous season, excluding the two lockout years, during Cade Cunningham’s 2024-25 breakout, as shown in the April snapshot of Detroit’s surge.
Cade Cunningham’s first All-Star selection landed in that same season, a clear marker that his game had broken into another tier. His scoring, playmaking, and control of possessions all climbed together during that All-Star campaign.
Detroit got a playoff moment to point to
Regular-season growth needed a night fans could hold onto in April, and Cade Cunningham delivered one. He put up 33 points and 12 rebounds in Detroit’s 100-94 Game 2 win over New York on April 21, 2025, a result that ended the franchise’s 15-game playoff losing streak.
That mattered for more than the box score. Cade Cunningham gave the Pistons a road postseason win with the ball in his hands and the pressure turned all the way up.
The awards matched the climb
League recognition followed right behind the breakthrough. Cade Cunningham was named All-NBA Third Team on May 23, 2025, his first All-NBA honor and Detroit’s first since Blake Griffin in 2018-19.
That is the part Pistons fans have been waiting to see from this rebuild. The franchise has a lead guard producing at an All-NBA level, and it is showing up in wins, not just highlights.
What the next step looks like
If Cade Cunningham keeps hovering near 24 points and 10 assists while carrying All-NBA form into another full season, Detroit’s postseason push stops being a nice story and starts looking like a yearly expectation. The next thing to watch is whether that level can keep the Pistons out of the play-in range and give them a cleaner path to another first-round series with Cunningham setting every possession.
Continue reading...
